1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print head cleaning member, and more particularly, it relates to a print head cleaning member comprising a cleaning component for cleaning a print head.
2. Description of the Background Art
A cleaning member disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-141672 or 10-6491 (1998), for example, is generally known in relation to an image generating apparatus.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-141672 discloses a method of cleaning a head wiper for cleaning an ink nozzle (printing portion) with a head wiper cleaning plate mounted on an ink cartridge of an ink jet printer (image generating apparatus).
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-6491 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus (image generating apparatus) so formed as to clean the outer peripheral surface of a roller member provided on gap holding means keeping a printing medium and ink discharge means at a constant distance.
On the other hand, a thermal transfer printer employing a thermal head (print head) for printing is generally known as an exemplary image generating apparatus. In this conventional thermal transfer printer, the print head is cleaned with a cleaning member. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of an exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a printing state of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. FIG. 12 is a perspective view for illustrating the overall structure of a print head cleaning component of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a print head cleaning state of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. The structures of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer and the cleaning component are now described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13.
In the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer, an ink cartridge 102 is inserted into an ink cartridge receiving hole 101a provided on a side portion of a printer body 101. An engaging member 103 is also provided on the side portion of the printer body 101 for fixing the ink cartridge 102 inserted into the ink cartridge receiving hole 101a. The ink cartridge 102 includes a pair of ink ribbon storage portions 102a and 102b each storing an ink ribbon (ink sheet) 109 (see FIG. 11), a pair of coupling portions 102c and 102d for coupling the pair of ink ribbon storage portions 102a and 102b with each other and a concave engaging portion 102e provided on the coupling portion 102d for engaging with the engaging member 103. The printer body 101 is provided therein with a thermal head (print head) 104 for printing, a platen roller 105 opposed to the thermal head 104, a feed roller 106 for carrying a paper 110 and a press roller 107 pressed against the feed roller 106 with prescribed pressing force, as shown in FIG. 11.
The thermal head 104 has a support shaft 104a, an arm 104b and a print head 104c. The thermal head 104 is mounted on the printer body 101 to be rotatable about the support shaft 104a. 
FIG. 12 shows a cleaning component 108 employed for cleaning the print head 104c of the thermal head 104 in the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer. This cleaning component 108 has a cleaning portion 108a of felt or the like and a pair of resin guide portions 108b and 108c. 
A printing operation of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer is now described with reference to FIG. 11. The feed roller 106 rotates along arrow F2 in FIG. 11, thereby carrying the paper 110 in a paper carrying direction (along arrow E2 in FIG. 11). At this time, the ink ribbon storage portion 102b of the ink cartridge 102 feeds the ink ribbon 109. The thermal transfer printer presses the print head 104c against the platen roller 105 through the paper 110 and the ink ribbon 109 while carrying the paper 110 and the ink ribbon 109, thereby performing printing.
An operation of the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer for cleaning the print head 104c is described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. In general, the print head 104c is cleaned with the cleaning component 108 shown in FIG. 12. More specifically, the cleaning component 108 is inserted into the ink cartridge receiving hole 101a provided on the side portion of the printer body 101 so that the pair of guide portions 108b and 180c of the cleaning component 108 function as guides for bringing the cleaning portion 108a into contact with the print head 104c, as shown in FIG. 13. Then, the cleaning component 108 is reciprocated along arrow D in FIG. 12 in the state shown in FIG. 13, thereby wiping off foreign matter adhering to the print head 104c with the cleaning portion 108a. The print head 104d is cleaned in this manner.
In the exemplary conventional thermal transfer printer shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, however, the cleaning component 108 for the print head 104c requires the pair of guide portions 108b and 108c, in order to bring the cleaning portion 108a into contact with the print head 104c. Consequently, the cleaning component 108 is disadvantageously complicated in structure and increased in size.
The head wiper cleaning plate disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-141672, which is a member for cleaning the head wiper for cleaning the ink nozzle, must disadvantageously be provided independently of the head wiper cleaning the ink nozzle (printing portion). Therefore, the structure of a cleaning portion is complicated, and the number of components is increased.
The cleaning member disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-6491 is not a member cleaning a printing portion of the ink jet printer but a member for cleaning the outer peripheral surface of the roller member provided on the gap holding means keeping the printing medium and the ink discharge means at the constant distance. Therefore, the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-6491 neither discloses nor suggests a member cleaning the printing portion.